Limited Range of Motion

[dswensen]

Hi,
Is anyone familiar with a surgical procedure to improve the range of motion after having a hip resurfacing? It's been 2.5 years and my ROM is maybe 65% of what it was prior to the surgery. I've done PT and lots of stretching and it has not helped.

Dave

[Dannywayoflife]

Unfortunately you can't ever have the rom of a natural hip with a resurfacing of any hip device. This is due to the reduced head neck ratio. Also the specific angles that the surgeon inserts the device will influance the rom that you get.

[johnd_emd]

Danny, I'd have to disagree with your statement that ROM always decreases after a hip resurfacing.  My ROM actually improved after my BHR.  There was a noticeable difference. 

Dave, I don't know if you're talking about a FAIS release or not.  I don't think that can be done once you've had your hip resurfaced.  A FAIS release is when they go in arthroscopically and shave down parts of the femoral neck to improve ROM.  As we age the femoral neck will thicken and in many cases begin to impinge up against the Acetabulum; therefore, decreasing ROM and usually case pain.  Once you have a hip resurfacing I don't think it's possible to do that procedure anymore.  That's the only procedure I'm aware of for improving ROM.

[chuckm]

A normal hip and a resurfaced hip will provide more range of motion than anyone needs. So it doesn't really matter which one you have. If a resurfacing is inserted at wrong angles it could impinge just like an arthritic hip.
But if the angles are correct then the stiffness is probably due to soft tissue - muscles, ligament, and tendons.
Your surgeon should be aware of this. A successful resurfacing always improves the ROM.

Chuckm

[obxpelican]

If done correctly a hip resurfacing will provide at least as much if not more ROM than what you may have on your non operated hip.

Have you tried stretching out in a whirlpool?  Also, checkout (I know this sounds crazy) a local karate studio explain your situation and they can provide excellent stretch exercises, when I was post op I went back to my old karate instructor and he helped me a lot.  Just a thought.


Chuck

[dswensen]

Chuck,
I think it is soft tissue limiting my ROM. The hip joint itself seems to be ok. I'll need to find out what the Dr. thinks, and what options I have.

Thanks,
Dave

[hernanu]

Chuck,
I think it is soft tissue limiting my ROM. The hip joint itself seems to be ok. I'll need to find out what the Dr. thinks, and what options I have.

Thanks,
Dave

Have you tried some (gentle) yoga Dave? I've stretched a lot for martial arts, sports, etc. and find that yoga or pilates is very good for ROM.

[Arrojo]

The best solution to get rid if scar tissue is Active Release Technique (ART). It is like a deep tissue massage but much much better and more targeted.

"ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles."

In my opinion, ART goes with hip resurfacing recovery like a hand and glove. It helped me run the Boston Marathon this year.